Merle Favis was born in Johannesburg in April 1957. By 1979 she had already been an active member of the National Union of South African Students (NUSAS) at the University of the Witwatersrand and an editor of the South African Labour Bulletin. Merle Favis was arrested for her political activities in 1981 while working in Durban. She was released after serving five months in detention without charge.